Thursday, July 2, 2015

Don't want to spend a ton of time in the kitchen, prepping dinner and sweating over the oven? Make a stir fry! At least once a week during the summer you can find me tossing ingredients into a big pan and pouring on different sauces. Stir fry isn't really a science. I usually don't follow a recipe and cook up whatever we have in the fridge.

Yes, the stir fry is the ultimate pre-vacation meal. You can clean out the fridge and use up any meats and vegetables. For this stir fry, had a bunch of sweet peppers and carrots, as well as a pack of chicken sitting in the fridge. With a business trip coming up on Thursday, I decided to use up the stuff in the house, rather than buy groceries this week. Also, since I tend to make a lot of stir frys, I had all the ingredients for my sauce already. My pantry is a well-stocked stir fry zone!

What is your go to "Use it up" recipe? With so many business and personal trips this year, I find that I've been tossing way more food than I would like. Resorting to eating out each night is not the best plan either, for the wallet or the waistline!

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

This recipe is not really summer appropriate. I wound up with a bunch of extra butternut squash and was looking for a recipe to use it all up. I came across this recipe in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook and knew that it would be perfect. While the flavors are more suited for Fall, this dinner tastes wonderful all year long.

This meal won't keep you cooped up in the kitchen for long. You can cook the squash and onions at the same time and use pre-cooked chicken. The summer months are the perfect time to use those roasted chickens from the grocery store. The hands on time for this recipe is pretty small, especially if you use a pre-made pie crust (my savior when it comes to pie crusts are those Pillsbury refrigerated crusts).

This is the perfect dinner for four people. Have a larger group? Just double the recipe! The boyfriend and I had this galette for dinner and then enjoyed the leftovers for lunch the next day. It's just as good hot as it is cold!

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Last year I had the privilege to visit the island nation of Singapore. I was there for a work trip, where we had to meet with some government officials, university doctors and local companies. It was a whirlwind trip that started with lost luggage, but ended with one very enjoyable day sightseeing.

The president of my company is a very kind man. He believes that if you are going to fly halfway around, you should at least have a moment to see the city. After four busy days of work, I got to walk down Orchard Road and window shop, I took in the views on top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and ate some seriously tasty food at a food stall market.

During my day of being a tourist, I picked up a few cookbooks. I can't believe that it has taken me over a year to try out some of the recipes! I'm so happy that I finally made this chicken dish. The flavors are amazing and it's an easy weeknight dinner. Give it a try and enjoy a taste of Singapore!

Friday, May 1, 2015

It's Friday, so I think that means we need some pizza. Though let me give you some insight on my usual Friday night. It has been the same for almost three years...

Every Friday night, the boyfriend and I go to the same restaurant. Only occasionally do we stray from this restaurant, mostly because we aren't in the mood for burgers. The restaurant is a ten minute was from our place and we only drive in cases of extreme cold or rain.

Each week we order almost the same thing. It's gotten to a point that the wait staff knows us, not by name, but by order. We sit down with our food and play trivia. Specifically, Sporcle trivia on the iPad. It's so much fun. I know so many random facts now, I would probably be really useful in a trivial pursuit game.

Do you and your favorite person have any weekly or monthly traditions? The boyfriend and I have been trying to branch out and eat at different restaurants, but how many places will let you just sit there for an hour playing trivia and taking up a table?

Thursday, March 5, 2015

It's another snow day here in Central New Jersey! The snow is coming down steady and it's a good heavy snow. The kind of snow that makes perfect snowmen. You can start with a tiny snowball and roll it up into a giant car-sized ball, perfect for carving out into an igloo. Have you ever made a snow igloo? Growing up in Buffalo, we had many winter igloos in our yard each year!

Sadly, I'll be working from home today, not playing outside and making giant snow igloos. On the bright side, I made this stir fry last night! Lunch hour will be tasty leftovers. This recipe comes together so quickly, I probably could prepare this fresh again today in less than fifteen minutes. Plus, this recipe has hoisin in it and I love anything with hoisin!

Are you stuck inside again today because of the weather? This snowstorm is huge! Stay safe and warm everyone, Spring is coming soon! Until then, I'll be looking out the window at the falling snow, drinking hot chocolate.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

I have been obsessed with pears recently. I've been adding them to my oatmeal, eating them raw and cooking them into my dinner dishes. It might be because pears are in season in the winter and all other fruits have just about zero flavor right now. I don't know why I buy strawberries in the winter, it's really a lost cause.

Pears however are delicious right now! I went with Anjou pears in this dish because they caramelize really well and hold their texture a bit better than Bartlett pears.

If you have everything chopped and ready to go, this dinner comes together very quickly. Brown the chicken, brown the pears, make the sauce. It's the perfect meal to make after a long day at work.

Place chicken in a bowl, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss to coat. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to the pan and saute until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side (or less, if your chicken is thinner than 1 inch). Transfer chicken to a plate and wrap with foil to keep warm.

Set another skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add pear wedges and saute until golden, turn once and cook until softened.

While the pears are sauteing, come back to the first skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and add shallots and sage. Saute for 2 minutes, until shallots are softened. Add sherry vinegar and white wine. Stir shallots and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let bubble and reduce for about 3 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together chicken stock, dijon mustard and cornstarch. Add to the skillet and whisk until everything is combined. Cook until bubbly, about 2 minutes. Whisk in cream and remove from the heat.

Slice chicken on a diagonal, add pears and spoon sauce over the top. Enjoy with these root vegetables!

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

If you live on the East Coast, you are probably in the midst of "Snowstorm Juno." If you are in the New Jersey area, then you might be a bit underwhelmed by the amount of snow that has actually fallen. I was told to expect thirty inches of snow at one point, we'll be lucky if more than a foot of the white stuff comes down here. I'm calling shenanigans on this snowstorm. I'm also calling out The Weather Channel on this whole named winter storms thing. Stop trying to make it happen! We don't like it!

Thirty inches of snow or not, I still get to have a snow day from work today! To celebrate a random Tuesday off, I made this stir fry for dinner last night. And I made enough of it so that there was lunch for my snow day. Now, I have major plans for a few hours of work and a bit of baking.

If you are in Massachusetts, stay safe and warm! You guys are supposed to get a whole bunch of snow!

Thursday, January 8, 2015

And French fries. French fries that I deep fried myself. (But we'll talk about those another day)

Sure, I could spend January lecturing you all about "eating healthy!" and "turning a new leaf!" and "detoxifying your body!" But that's not my thing. We make candy here in the Wilde Kitchen. No date on the calendar is going to change my cooking habits!

To be serious though, these chicken wings are actually not terrible for you. They are baked in the oven and flavored with a spice rub and minimal oil and... THEY TASTE AMAZING! You seriously need to make these wings tonight. You need a bunch of different spices for this recipe, so you may need to hit up the grocery store for this one.

Go to the grocery store. Make these chicken wings. Do it do it do it!!!

Friday, November 21, 2014

We officially moved into our new house two months ago. It is only now that I've started cooking dinner. It's been a combination of laziness (after hours of renovating, take-out is awfully convenient) and kitchen inaccessibility (I literally couldn't get into my kitchen). What did I make for my inaugural recipe? No, it was not this chicken. I actually made oatmeal. In the slow cooker. Totally a low energy input meal.

I actually made this chicken at the old apartment, I just haven't had a moment to post it yet! Sorry for the fake out. I will be cooking a full Thanksgiving dinner this coming weekend and really giving my kitchen a run-in. Until then, it's been pretty easy recipes coming out of the kitchen - baked chicken tenders, soup, risotto. We are planning a major kitchen reno after the New Year and I don't want to make too much of a mess before then!

Even though I made this chicken dish at the old apartment, that doesn't mean it wasn't tasty! If you are looking for a quick and easy chicken dish, this one will fit the bill. This is definitely not a healthy chicken dish, what with all of the heavy cream, but we can pretend, because it sits on a bed of spinach.

This recipe comes from my collection of cookbooks. I realize that I have totally failed at cooking something from each cookbook this year. That is, unless I cook two recipes each day, until the end of the year. Not gonna happen. Perhaps this challenge will continue into next year. Or maybe I'll just replace it with something else entirely. Something a little bit more creative...

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Coat in flour, shake off excess. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil. Cook chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.

In another large skilled, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic and cook until shallots are translucent. Add white wine and stir, scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Raise heat to medium-high and reduce volume by half. Add heavy cream and continue to reduce again by half.

Thursday, July 31, 2014

To tell the truth, I made this chicken to accompany the asparagus from Tuesday. Would I do that pairing again? No way. There was way too much sauce preparation that was necessary for both dishes. When I cook this chicken again (which I will, because it was amazing), it's getting paired with steamfresh vegetables from the microwave.

I will also remember that when I put pans in the oven, the handle of the pan also gets hot. I think that I need to buy one of these pan handle covers, because I always grab the handle and burn my hand. I don't do this to pull the pan out of the oven, I realize that it's warm at that point. It's after I return the pan to the burner and begin reducing the sauce. I'll grab the handle to rotate the pan and Yeouch!That's hot!

Burnt hand or not, this chicken was the perfect dinner. I always have chicken thighs in my freezer for some reason, so this is an easy dinner for a weeknight. Pick up some grapes and olives from the grocery store and you've got yourself a flavorful meal.

Monday, February 24, 2014

I have owned a slow cooker for at least the past ten years. The majority of recipes that I've made in it? Oatmeal. I once made white hot chocolate in the slow cooker. We had a cookie exchange and I decided white hot chocolate would be super festive. It was not popular. Anyways... I've only recently taken to using the slow cooker for other, more time saving purposes.

Monday, January 27, 2014

I have been meaning to post some more savory items on the blog recently, but the early sunsets really hamper my endeavors at photography. I'm thinking I need to invest in some new lights. I've also been planning on sharing some healthy dinner items with you, today I totally failed.

Today I made you the quickest, easiest and baconiest chicken ever. I guess that's what happens when you fry chicken in bacon grease and then pour crumbled bacon over it.

Healthy? Probably not. Delicious? Totally. You know you want to make this for dinner. Do it do it do it!

Heat olive oil in a medium-high skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add bacon and fry until crisp, remove bacon from the pan and wrap up in foil.

Fry chicken in the olive oil and bacon grease, about 2 minutes per side. Once chicken is cooked through and no longer pink, remove to your serving plates. Crumble bacon in the pan and add white wine, cook until slightly reduced. Pour over chicken and serve!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

My friends north of the border and those lucky ones in the border states know exactly what I'm talking about when I mention Swiss Chalet. Images of rotisserie chicken, golden fries and that classic Chalet sauce all come to mind.

I grew up in Western New York, just a hop away from Canada, and we had several Swiss Chalet restaurants in town. My mom actually worked at the Chalet before I was born, so it must be in my blood. Having lunch at the Chalet was always on my list of things to do when I come home for a visit. The BF and I even walked two miles once to get some chicken while visiting Canada on a cruise!

This all changed three years ago when all of the WNY Swiss Chalets closed. Not only did they close, but they razed the buildings to the ground. (I kind of wished the burnt them down. With all the chicken grease in the walls, those buildings would have gone up in a second!) Now the only way for Buffalonians to enjoy the Chalet is to take a trip across the border, and they do. My parents head across the bridge a few times a year for dinner.

Even with the inside information from my mom, there was very little chance that I could duplicate the classic Chalet sauce. According to my mom, the restaurant receives a bag of spices from headquarters. They then mix the spices with water and simmer for hours. Even the employees don't know what's in the sauce.

Luckily you too can buy the spice packages! Just in a much more manageable size. This sauce is available in Canadian grocery stores, some border stores and a few websites. After hearing about BuffaloFoods.com during a hockey game, I checked it out and stocked up on all my hometown favorites. Loganberry soda, Anchor Bar wing sauce and Swiss Chalet dipping sauce!

Nothing in this meal is overly tricky. Grilled chicken (because the grocery store was out of rotisserie chickens!) and fries with a big bowl of Chalet sauce. I was concerned that the sauce would pale in comparison to the restaurant stuff, but it was spot on! I need to order more because it brought me right home.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

I want to eat this meal for the next month. Simple, flavorful and delicious. Shallots are magic roots.

This dinner was super simple. I prepared the stuffed chicken a day ahead of time, giving it some time to meld together and make it easier to cook. When dinnertime rolled around, all I had to do was prepare the sauce and saute the chicken. It was so simple and easy! This shallot sauce would be amazing over pork, fish, it might even make tofu taste good.

The side dish was just as easy to put together. Nothing is simpler than making quinoa. Just boil up the grain with some chicken stock and water, saute some red peppers and pistachios. Poof! Side dish is ready to go. Dinner in a snap. And it will be so good. Do it.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

How is it August 6th already? It was just fourth of July like two days ago! This summer is running away from me and I'm even unemployed and can enjoy every day in the sun.

July was jam-packed with travel. I spent a week in Buffalo, visiting family I hadn't seen in years, eating locals treats and playing with my parents puppies. After that I was in Arizona with BF for another week, sweating it out in the Phoenix heat, being awed by amazing geography and taking the longest hike I've even done in my life.

Upon our return from Arizona, we returned to New Jersey to find milder temperatures and rain. Lots of rain. That's okay though. I use the rainy days to focus on my future career plans. I'm really ready to head back to work after three months off. I'm running out of things to do at home and I really miss working in the lab! I'm going to try to make the most of my remaining time off (which hopefully isn't too much more!) and enjoy the last few weeks of summer! Mostly by eating more fruit.

I made this chicken dinner last week and knew I would love it. I also knew that BF would leave every last bit of mango on his plate. He just really doesn't like fruit. Such a weirdo! Personally I love fruit with savory dishes and loved the mango salsa with the spice rubbed chicken. I also got to use one of my new OXO tools - the mango splitter! While it's totally easy to pit a mango without one, it took about three seconds to pit the mango with it! I also thought I would show my step-by-step how-to cut a mango pics. Now you know and it's so much easier than you thought!

Thanks go to OXO for sending me an amazing package of summer fruit tools, including this mango splitter, through the blogger outreach program. All opinions about the tools are my own, but I have yet to find an OXO tool that doesn't do it's job! Check out some of their fruit tools and enjoy the summers bounty!

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

I'm happy to be talking to you from the other side of my wisdom tooth extraction. Though I hardly remember much of the procedure, or the two hours after it. I'm thankful to have had an excellent oral surgeon. After the initial jab of the needle and the anesthesia washing over me, I have felt very little pain. It's been a generally good experience! I'm now down four useless teeth and happy that I won't have to do it again.

The only problem I had with the extraction is the timing, which is totally my fault. The dentist told me no spicy foods until I'm all healed up. This would normally be fine, but I planned the surgery just before a visit to my parents in Buffalo. I couldn't have a single hot wing the entire time I was home! I was so disappointed and now I'm back in New Jersey with a healed mouth and no chicken wings! I'll have to make some wing sauce this week.

Before my extraction I made this amazing pasta dish. I have an all new love affair with panko breadcrumbs. And deep frying them. Then devouring them. This dish was super easy too and ready in less than 30 minutes. It also uses my favorite pasta shape - cavatappi! If you can't find the fun little corkscrews, feel free to use any pasta with ridges.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

It's officially summer around here and it finally feels like it! We've been hovering right around ninety degrees here in the tri-state area all week. And I love it. Love! Of course my hair has been all sorts of crazy in this high humidity, but since I don't have a job right now, who cares!

I've fallen into a pretty good routine through my unemployed weeks. Generally Monday is my cleaning house day. I'll do the laundry, vacuum and dust the apartment, run boring errands and cook the fanciest meal of the week. By Tuesday I've run out of task-oriented things to do and tackle projects that have been sitting around for a while. I'm talking scrapbooking, closet organizing, de-cluttering.

When Wednesday rolls around I don't really have much to do around the house, so I text some OSI friends and get together for brunch or lunch. (This week we're heading to Clinton Street Bakery for brunch and then shopping for interview clothes in SOHO!) Wednesday night used to be Boyfriends night to cook, but since I'm home already and he doesn't really like to cook, I've taken it back.

By the time Thursday comes, I'm starting to get a little bored at home. I usually will jump on my bike and head to the local park for relaxing and reading in the sun. Thursday usually also means I've run out of fruits and vegetables and a Whole Foods run is necessary.

Friday is Treat Yourself! day. This week that consists of an orthodontist appointment! Thrilling. Generally it means I hang out at Starbucks then head across the street to the nail salon. Mostly I'm just excited for Friday because it means the weekend is here and I get to spend time with BF. It's his job to entertain me through the weekend!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Hello everyone! I'm back from vacation and recovered, I think. I know, it sounds strange to be "recovered from vacation" but it's totally the truth. Whenever Boyfriend and I come back from vacation, I feel like I need another few days off just to recuperate! The reason is - we aren't you traditional vacation-type people.

Most people look forwards to vacation because it involves an umbrella drink (or five), a beach umbrella and some new paperbacks. I could handle doing that too, for about two hours. Then I want to get up and DO SOMETHING! I either have restless leg disorder (is that still a thing??) or Adult ADHD, because I don't want to just sit around on vacation and relax. Ask anyone, I'm not really the relaxing type.

Our trip to Morocco was anything but relaxing. In ten days we managed to jam in all of the following... A day in Oukaimeden rock climbing, two days in Zagora riding camels, a three-day trip to the beach for surfing lessons. We toured the medinas of Marrakech and Casablanca and traveled on the highways, rails and tramlines of Morocco. We ate tagines and couscous by the pound and enjoyed liters of mint tea.

Thankfully we had a direct flight home from Casablanca, I don't think I could have mustered up the energy to get on another plane after seven and a half hours sitting in coach. Once we got home, all I wanted to eat was a big salad. And I've been making lots of them since I managed the necessary energy to head to the grocery store!

Maybe our next vacation will be a quiet, relaxing, beach vacation... More likely I'll plan something like that and BF will find a volcano to hike up and coral reefs to scuba dive through.

Be on the lookout over the next two weeks for Moroccan dishes and photos from our vacation! I picked up a few tips from the locals and a beautiful Moroccan cookbook of my own.